"Over the weekend, I will talk to LG Sir,"said Arvind Kejriwal..
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will take a call on lifting the lockdown in Delhi over the weekend, after a discussion with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. The lockdown was declared last month as the Covid cases started an upward trend and reached numbers that left the healthcare system in a shambles -- short of oxygen, beds and drugs -- families of patients ran from pillar to post and crematoriums overflowed into parking lots.
While extending the lockdown last week, Mr Kejriwal had said though the positivity rate was on its way down, experts have advised waiting till it reached 5 per cent and it would not be right to squander the gains made over the last weeks.
The question of relaxing the restrictions is now being considered with the positivity rate dropping to 5 per cent -- down from 35 per cent during the peak in April.
Asked about the matter on Thursday, the Chief Minister said, "Over the weekend, I will talk to LG Sir".
"Whatever discussion will happen with LG Sir and whatever decision will be made, we will tell you," he added.
Over the last 24 hours, Delhi recorded 3,231 fresh cases of coronavirus and 233 fatalities. This was the second straight day the city logged less than 4000 cases. On Wednesday, Delhi recorded 3,846 cases and 235 deaths.
The positivity rate has dipped to 5.5 per cent, according to figures from the health department.
Medical experts have attributed the lockdown as the main factor behind the dip.
Delhi has been under one of the toughest lockdowns that allowed only essential services. Even the metro service -- lifeline for commuters in the sprawling city -- has been shut for the last two weeks as a precautionary measure.
Delhi was one of the key places that bore the brunt of the second wave. At the peak of the infection last month, the city was desperate for oxygen. The shortage had cost the lives of more than 40 people.